Shock, pain and grief were
visible on the faces of survivors and family members, be it at the
VS Hospital, the Civil Hospital or the LG Hospital in Ahmedabad. The
bewilderment at the mindless acts of terror, especially the two bomb
blasts at the hospitals that targeted the injured and the doctors,
was palpable. Exhaustion of the determined band of doctors, paramedics
and nurses attending to the injured in the blasts that claimed over
50 lives, was visible. Yet they greeted each visitor with patience,
detailing aspects of the terror and their response.

Five days
after 18 bomb blasts tore Ahmedabad’s fragile social fabric,
a tenuous peace reigns over the city. There has been some hardening
of hearts but no overt expressions of hatred, yet, on the streets.
Violence leading to grief and loss, especially of the kind witnessed
by Ahmedabad last Saturday, can often lead to mindless acts of revenge
against imagined perpetrators who simply bear the identity badge of
a community. Such feelings were stoked to perfection in Gujarat in
2002. Thankfully, they were starkly missing after bomb terror hit
the commercial hub of Gujarat last week.

As the
nation rallied around to praise the resilience of Gujaratis, we saw,
for the first time, that serious efforts were made by the political
class (the whacky press conference by Sushma Swaraj apart) not to
politicise the issue of bomb terrorism, avoid the usual blame-game
and mend the cheap divides.

Ironically,
it was the master of political manipulation, Chief Minister Narendra
Modi — a man who had never failed to attack the Opposition on
cleverly constructed slogans like “Mia Musharraf” and
“Sohrabuddin, the terrorist’’— who emerged
as the beneficiary of a decent national response.

Since the
devastating riots of 2002, all of us who hail from the soil of Gujarat
have pointed at its forbearing past, towards the poetry of Narmada
and the welcoming soil that gave Wali Dakhani a home and final resting
place. Just a year before the riots of 2002, Gujarat saw similar moments
of glory in the aftermath of the Kutch earthquakes which claimed many
lives. All Gujaratis — cutting across communities — chipped
in bravely to rebuild homes and hearts. In fact, a victim of 2002
riots, unable to fathom the reason behind the pogrom, told Justices
Krishna Iyer and Sawant that the violence was aimed at destroying
the harmony and bonhomie between the Hindus and the Muslims.

The land
of Gandhi that has abandoned his values needs to rebuild itself on
acknowledgement, justice, remorse and forgiveness. Gandhiji was also
a victim of a terrorist’s bullets. The birthplace of an icon
of forbearance and non-violence stands scarred by deep schisms. Gandhiji
was killed because he spoke the language of peace and toleration.

The fragile
peace prevalent even after the bomb blasts, hopefully, will help Gujarat
and Gujaratis see the inherent values of a lasting and comfortable
peace.

The writer is a social activist and secretary, Citizens for Justice
and Peace

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